PETER OBI DENIES RIFT WITH SOLUDO, QUESTIONS ANAMBRA’S $123.77M DEBT CLAIM
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By; Sunmola Ganiyat
Former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate Peter Obi has said he has no disagreement with his successor, Governor Chukwuma Soludo, amid the ongoing controversy over debts linked to projects executed during his tenure.
Obi, in a statement on Friday, said he had no intention of returning to the governorship and would not seek the office again, even if the Constitution were amended.
He also appealed to governors to allow presidential candidates and other political contestants to campaign freely in their states, regardless of political affiliation, saying voters should be allowed to decide who they want to support.
Addressing the Anambra debt controversy, Obi said he had remained silent in recent days because he was mourning his late elder brother and friend, Chief Okey Ezeibe.
The former governor rejected the description of $123.77 million in external facilities as “debt owed by Peter Obi.” According to him, the facilities were largely World Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development programmes negotiated by the Federal Government and accessed by participating states through subsidiary arrangements.
Obi argued that the amount approved, the amount actually drawn and the outstanding balance should not be treated as the same figure. He said describing the entire $123.77 million as loans left by his administration was an inaccurate application of public-sector accounting.
The Anambra State Government had said eight external borrowings linked to projects during Obi’s administration had a combined contracted value of $123.77 million, with $92.35 million outstanding as of June 30, 2026.
Obi maintained that he did not personally approach any financial institution to obtain a loan or issue a bond on behalf of Anambra State during his tenure. He also said his administration left office without unpaid salaries, pensions, gratuities or verified debts owed to contractors and suppliers.
He further questioned the figures cited by the state government, pointing to Debt Management Office records which, according to him, put Anambra’s external debt at about $30 million when he left office in March 2014, compared with the $123.77 million now being attributed to facilities contracted during his tenure.
Obi said the individual facilities should instead be examined based on their approval, effectiveness, drawdown and repayment records before conclusions are reached about the state’s financial obligations.
The former governor urged political actors to focus on the challenges facing Nigerians rather than what he described as distractions, while maintaining that he has no quarrel with Soludo or any other governor.
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